


For one so small, You seem so strong. My arms will hold you, Keep you safe and warm.

by probs_pastel_goth



Series: Klaus fixes this mess of a family, one step at a time. But naturally, he suffers first. [3]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Cuddles!, Fluff and Angst, Klaus is best boi, Look at these bois helping each other, Sad with a Happy Ending, they have a chat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 07:59:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19001656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/probs_pastel_goth/pseuds/probs_pastel_goth
Summary: Alright, so. This isn't technically in this verse of mine, but it could be, you know? It's the fluffy, 'Five is alive' version, not that long, but I thought y'all might like it. I'm sorry for taking so long a break guys, hope you enjoy!





	For one so small, You seem so strong. My arms will hold you, Keep you safe and warm.

_Well, one week sober and you’ve lost it, Klaus. Congrats! Why else would JFK, 35th US President, be following Five around? Tiny little Mambo? Surely not. Maybe... I mean, Five_ **_did_ ** _say he was an assassin. But JFK? He would have mentioned something like that, right? “Oh hey guys, by the way, I assassinated JFK, thought you ought to know.” Not like Five would ever say it like that, but still! He would have said something…_

 

_I should ask him, shouldn’t I, sweet voice in my head?_

 

**_Naturally! Don’t just guess about this! He’s an assassin, and what time period did he say he was last in?_ **

 

_I didn’t listen, did I? Otherwise you would know!_

 

**_Then go find him, and ask, you idiot!_ **

 

_Alright, alright! No need to be so aggressive, or loud. You’re in my head, I can hear you._

 

**_Whatever, just go!_ **

 

Now under strict orders of himself, Klaus heads out to find his second smallest, oldest sibling. There was just one problem with that. Five did not ‘hang out’ in normal places. You had to track him down, like a hunter. With a Peanut Butter and Marshmallow sandwich for bait, and information as a net. Either that or have Ben and/or Vanya with you for around five minutes. Both worked, but he didn’t want to bother Vanya, who was with Allison, and Ben, who was with Mom and Diego. Luther was, somewhere, the gym maybe. All he needed was Five, and he’d be golden.

 

Turns out, the smallest brother had decided to sit in Klaus’s room (technically half Vanya’s, but oh well) and study the writings on the walls. He seemed very focused about it, taking notes and mumbling things under his breath. He was, _studying_ , Klaus and his mentality. What a project. Five hadn’t done this to anyone else, far as he was aware, and he understood that. They, Five and Klaus, had raided their Father’s office once Luther had been calmed down, and Vanya freed. They found notes and journals about all of them, including the book Harold Jenkins had (they went back for it), and just general information about everything the Hargreeves family owned. That wasn’t too interesting, they cared more about the journals about them and their powers. The number of studies on _Klaus_ had surprised them, why did he care so much about Klaus?

 

Klaus, as it turns out, wasn’t allowed to know _why_ he was so ‘special’ to their Father. Apparently, that wasn’t important for him to know. Who knew? ‘Oh, this load of information about you and your abilities? No, you do not get to read it! Don’t be silly!’ How could he be so foolish, to believe he deserved to know that information? He was getting off topic. Basically, Five knew their Father’s research on Klaus, and was now studying the writings Klaus had done after training, nightmares, or whenever **_They_ ** got too loud for him to handle, and he was out of drugs. It would be informative if one managed to decipher it.

 

Five was clearly struggling to read the mix of modern and ancient languages, and the mix of dialects between them. It was probably the sole reason Reggie the Veggie hadn’t done anything about it, he couldn’t understand it. Only Klaus could, naturally. It was a special talent, having allspeak. And their Father had never realized! He just thought Klaus had a ‘gift for learning languages’! Never looked into it further. Or maybe he did know, and it was in one of the journals. Who’s to say? Certainly not Five, he won’t tell Klaus anything, even if he asked nicely.

 

“Damn it! What the hell does this say?” Klaus was startled out of his long line of thoughts by the yells of a frustrated teen-adult who was used to understanding what he set his mind to.

 

“It makes no sense! That parts German, I think, then a bit of, what, Japanese? What is this? It’s like a whole new language?”

 

“If you’re having trouble, why don’t you ask the one who wrote it, Five?”

 

Five froze, clearly having been so absorbed in his task he hadn’t noticed the Ouija Board/Rosetta Stone walk into the room, and sit on the bed. After regaining movement in his limbs, the small child-man twisted around violently. It was then Klaus took notice of the state of the room. It had been searched, high and low, papers strewn about everywhere.

 

“What did you do in here, man? It’s a mess!”

 

Five had the decency to look ashamed for what he had done to the place, knowing he should have been treating the room with more respect. He began collecting the papers as he explained himself.

 

“I had to crack the code, Klaus. Dad made an attempt, but he only managed a list of languages it could be- wait, you actually know what it says? These aren’t just mindless scribbles?”

 

“Mindless scribbles? Five! You wound me so! Of course I know what it says, here look. ‘The spirit calls out for her mother, she hates her so. She wants her mother dead, for killing her and her siblings. She drove them to breaking point, and now they are broken. Husks. Dead.’ It’s just a mix of languages and dialects, easy enough.”

 

“Klaus, this is- That’s, incredible! Do you think you could help me write these down? Is there a pattern of sorts?”

 

“Pattern? Oh, no. No pattern here! I was rather, you know, out of it when I did most of these. I mean, _you_ might find a pattern somehow, but I wouldn’t know. Anyway, we can do that later Five. Let’s clean this up, and have a little chat, okay? I have some q’s to shoot at you, k?”

 

“I guess… You promise we will translate all of this though, yeah?”

 

“Would I lie to you?”

 

“Yes! You definitely would Klaus, it’s you!”

 

“Fair point, fair point. Okay, I _promise_ you I will translate it all for you, and I’ll even throw in some background details if you’re interested, deal?”

 

“Deal! This is going to boost my research tenfold…” And suddenly, acting out of pure insanity, surely, Five leapt at Klaus. Fearing an attack from the small, feral child-man, Klaus tensed where he was standing. The fear was proven unnecessary after impact, however, as Klaus suddenly had a large Koala stuck to him. A smile snuck onto his face, and he wrapped his arms around his angry kitten of a brother, knowing to enjoy the moment while it lasts.

 

It lasted longer than usual, but as expected, it didn’t last forever. Five pulled away from the hug, looking more than a little embarrassed, before brushing it off and clearing his throat.

 

“Shall we get started on this mess then?”

 

“We shall, brother mine, we shall.” If Klaus’s tone was just slightly mocking, Five took no notice of it, just smiled up at him, a true smile, and got to work. It was going to take a while, as it seems Five had brought the journals in as well, cross-referencing his data with Father’s. _What a nerd…_

 

It, surprisingly, only took around ten minutes to organize it all into piles, off to the wall with the most writing. Five insisted on sorting through it to ‘make your crazy more understandable’, somehow. As if it was that bad! (It was)

 

After that, however, the siblings sat on Klaus’s bed rather awkwardly. Until Klaus broke it by doing what he came here to do in the first place, ask about the JFK floating around Five.

 

“So… Why is John F. Kennedy following you around?”

 

“What? That’s what you wanted to know? Really? I killed him, well, would’ve if I didn’t come back here. Guess I’m just easier to haunt or whatever.”

 

“Well, that explains everyone else around you.”

 

“‘Everyone else’? What do you mean? There are more ghosts following me?”

 

“Oh yeah man, tons. More than Hazel and Cha Cha anyway. They really didn’t like you at first, but the moment your shell cracked, and let me hug you after you knew the apocalypse was done, they stopped screaming. Or, got quieter anyway. It’s like they are trying to force me to risk getting stabbed by you, just for a hug or whatever.”

 

“Really? Are they still screaming?”

 

“Spirits always scream, until they find peace. Ben doesn’t scream, unless I really annoy him, and only if I’m near someone. He doesn’t want to risk anything.”

 

“‘Anything’? What do you mean, Klaus? What does the screaming do?”

 

Klaus suddenly seemed, not all there as he answered.

 

“The screams… When I’m alone, especially if it’s dark, the screaming gets louder and louder, until I can’t hear anything but the screams. The walls close in, it gets colder and colder. Chills to the bone. I can’t move from the corner, the floor. The room starts shaking, furniture in the air… I’m in the eye of a hurricane, and it’s quiet…”

 

Five knew not to interrupt Klaus as this was a once in a lifetime opportunity. He didn’t know the next time Klaus would share something like this. Still, the way Klaus was acting was concerning…

 

“They never stop Five. Not even when I claw at my ears, my arms, my eyes. They're still there, screeching away. The few that try to help are drowned out even without drugs. I can never breathe with them there when I'm alone.”

 

“Klaus I, I had no idea. I'm so sorry that you had to deal with that…”

 

“It's fine Five, you're not the only one, are you? Luther, Allison, Dad… They never believed that my power was that bad. Even Diego and Vanya had their moments of judging, Vanya’s being her book. They all think I took the drugs for nothing, did you know? That I'm just a stupid addict. They don't believe I'm sober, or if they do, that I'm not going to stay sober for long. Silly really. Ben can make himself corporeal enough to punch me when he needs to now, so I can't get back to drugs with him here.”

 

“That's good at least. Both the no drugs thing and that your powers are coming along. Well done Klaus.”

 

The praise, though small, was more than enough from Five. He rarely gave praise to _any_ of them, so Klaus cherished it. What can he say, he's a slut for things like that, even if he won't admit it to the others.

 

Five had apparently gotten sidetracked from what he wanted to do and cleared his throat to catch Klaus’s attention again. He nearly regretted it as Klaus turned to him, an expression like a puppy that had just been praised. He swore his heart _did not_ explode at the sight.

 

_How dare he look that adorable…_

 

“So, hugs stop that from happening?”

 

“Well, for your set of ghosts anyway. God knows the others need a bit more convincing. Why do you ask? You aren't taking notes so I presume this is a casual matter.”

 

“First, presume? Didn't know you knew that word.”

 

“Hey! I had Ben around me this whole time, I do learn something from that!”

 

“Kidding, kidding!” A smile graced Fives face, Klaus seemed so innocent it was hard to keep it away. “Anyway, I just wanted to know so I could do this.”

 

Five sprung up, closed the door, and space-hopped back again, knocking Klaus onto the bed as he hugged him tightly. The small assassin would never admit it, but _Klaus_ was actually his favourite sibling. Everyone assumed it was Vanya, but no. As much as he loved his sister, Klaus would always hold a special place of his heart. He could remember how much he looked up to Klaus, not for the drugs obviously, but for how he always seemed to challenge their Father. He had clearly kept this up after he left, if their sibling's words were anything to go by.

 

Klaus had always looked out for them, or at least Five, Ben, and Vanya. He didn't need to protect the others, but he always let Diego join in whenever he wanted to. Five could remember waking up in the middle of the night, after accidentally hopping to the roof, or in a training room, and being terrified. As soon as he was properly awake, he hopped to Klaus's room to calm down. The moment Klaus saw him appear, because Klaus was always awake, he let Five snuggle up next to him, and hear his heartbeat. It was grounding, being near Klaus. It didn't lose its effect during the apocalypse. Five had taken Klaus’s coat as it wouldn't be a good idea to carry a corpse around. The coat never seemed to lose its scent, rose perfume and nutmeg. He had it around his shoulders while walking, used it as a blanket, and once he was tall enough, actually wore it. He loved that coat, and it just so happened to be the one Klaus was wearing right now. Who'd of thought?

 

Klaus was quite a bit surprised at getting two hugs from Five in one week, let alone a _day_. It was great though, so he unconsciously pulled Five to his chest, sat against the headboard, and just cuddled his brother. Before he knew it, he began to hum, which evolved into singing.

 

“ _Shadows settle, on the place, that you left._

 

_Our minds are troubled by the emptiness._

 

_Destroy the middle it’s a waste of time._

 

 _From the perfect start, to the finish line._ ”

 

Five recognized the song, Klaus had sung it the day after the apocalypse, in the bath. It was a nice song, he had to admit. Calming…

 

“ _And if you're still breathing, you're the lucky ones._

 _  
_ _'Cause most of us are heaving through corrupted lungs._

 _  
_ _Setting fire to our insides for fun._

 

_Collecting names of the lovers that went wrong._

_  
_ _The lovers that went wrong._ ”

 

It was obvious Klaus related to the song, with lyrics like that, the emotion he put into it as he sang. _He was so, peaceful_ , Five thought, as another damned smile crept onto his face. _Too kind…_

 

“ _We are the reckless._

 _  
_ _We are the wild youth._

 _  
_ _Chasing visions of our futures._

 _  
_ _One day we'll reveal the truth._

 _  
_ _That one will die before he gets there._

 _  
_ _And if you're still bleeding, you're the lucky ones._

 _  
_ _'Cause most of our feelings, they are dead and they are gone._

 _  
_ _We're setting fire to our insides for fun._

 _  
_ _Collecting pictures from the flood that wrecked our home._

 _  
_ _It was a flood that wrecked this home."_

 

The song did hit rather close to home, too close…

 

“ _And you caused it..._

 _  
_ _And you caused it..._

 _  
_ _And you caused it…_ ”

 

He remembers how he left, recklessly. Wanting to _change the future…_ They died before he got back. He caused it. Maybe if he had stayed, Vanya wouldn't have reacted as she did…

 

“ _Well I've lost it all, I'm just a silhouette..._

 _  
_ _A lifeless face that you'll soon forget..._

 _  
_ _My eyes are damp from the words you left._

 _  
_ _Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest..._

 _  
_ _Ringing in my head, when you broke my chest…_ ”

 

He didn't even say goodbye to any of them… The last thing he said to Klaus was calling him a disappointment…

 

“ _And if you're in love, then you are the lucky one._

 _  
_ _'Cause most of us are bitter over someone._

 _  
_ _Setting fire to our insides for fun._

 _  
_ _To distract our hearts from ever missing them._

 _  
_ _But I'm forever missing him…_ ”

 

Had they missed him? Klaus had made it obvious he had, breaking down after the apocalypse was dealt with, saying how he missed those _‘chubby cheeks_ ’ complete with grandma level pinching. Vanya did, as she told him that first night. But the others? He wasn't sure…

 

“ _And you caused it..._

 _  
_ _And you caused it..._

 _  
_ _And you caused it…_ ”

 

He wished he never left…

 

Suddenly, Klaus lifted his chin, forcing him to look him in the eye.

 

“Hey, what's with the waterworks kiddo?”

 

He had been crying? He didn't notice…

 

“Hey, hey! I'm not mad! It's important to cry every so often, get those chemicals out of your brain. Come on Five, once they start you better just let them. It's just me, kid. You're okay.”

 

He stopped wiping the tears away, and let them fall freely. Klaus smiled slightly, and he tried to return it, failing tremendously.

 

“Good enough babe, don't expect you to smile right now. Want to talk about what brought this on?”

 

His head shook before he heard the full question. Instead, he buried his head into Klaus's chest, and cried silently, taking in the scent that never died. He remembered when he lost the coat, 35 years into the apocalypse. He cried so much that day. His last connection to his family, gone.

 

It wasn't just a coat. Klaus had a bundle of handwritten letters in there, obviously well cared for. They were all addressed to a sibling, one to mom, and several to him. His letters had been rewritten over the years, Klaus was never happy with it, apparently. It was horrifying when he realized what they were for. _Suicide notes…_

 

As morbid as it was, Five loved those letters. They were another link to Klaus. He kept those letters in the wagon, never risking losing them as well. He couldn't forget what they were like…

 

“Hey, kiddo. I know I can’t read your thoughts, but I think you're going down a bad train of thought right now, so I’ll distract you, okay? I love you, you know that? I don’t say it often enough, but I do. I missed you so much, little man. When you hug me, I get reminded that you’re actually here, and not a ghost. Whenever you say I did something well, I think that I might not be a _total_ disappointment. It’s grounding, you know? Maybe not familiar, for me anyway, but comforting. That someone believes in me. I know Ben does, but he’s seen everything I’ve done. You haven’t. You are, therefore, unbiased.”

 

Five felt his face heat as the comments set in. Klaus loved him. He actually loved him, no jokes at all. He cared about his opinion. Five couldn’t comprehend that, it just didn’t line up with everything he knew. Though, Klaus was always the most affectionate sibling, so it wasn’t impossible to believe, he supposed. Everyone did often doubt that Klaus knew what he was doing, and this was proof that he did. Not that he would tell the others about this, ever. They didn’t know about the times in the past, they don’t need to know now.

 

“Whenever I started sobering up, and the ghosts flooded in, I thought of you. Thinking about what you looked like at our age. I don’t think they were very accurate, but I drew them. They, my notepads, are in my apartment. I’ll show you them later, yeah? You might like them, either just as drawings or for your research. Whichever one it is, I hope you like them. I worked hard on them, I have drawings of everyone. There’s a big one of all of us, as a big happy family, on the biggest wall I could find unobscured. Mom, Allison, Luther, Vanya, Diego, You, Ben, Eudora, Diego’s girlfriend, and me. There’s enough space, I left gaps, for Claire, Patrick, Delores and Dave. I don’t think I’ll add Pogo, who knows…”

 

Klaus knew he was rambling, but the fact that Five was calming down could not be ignored. Who knew him not knowing how to shut up would be a good thing?

 

“Did you know that I didn’t actually fall down the stairs? I mean, I can levitate for Christ's sake! Well, obviously you wouldn’t know, nobody but Dad knows, and Ben I guess. He kinda had to know, not like he could tell anyone else. But yeah, I didn’t fall. I practised for ages in those heels, up and down the stairs. I knew how to walk in them, that’s why I wanted to wear them to the mission. I knew I’d be able to. Dad though, he didn’t like that idea. Apparently it would ‘create a bad image’, as if I cared! I told him that, and instead of you know, being calm and humane, he whacked me with his cane, straight to the jaw. I tumbled down the stairs from the impact, naturally, and hit the ground. I think, even if I didn’t fall, my jaw would have been broken. It was a strong hit.”

 

“He hit you? He actually did?”

 

“Is it so hard to believe? It is the man that locked Vanya away in that box when we were four. I mean, the number of times he physically threw me into the mausoleum, I should have seen the hit coming.”

 

“He put you in the mausoleum?! Why didn’t you say anything? I mean, I get not saying it then, but why not now? Why keep that to yourself?”

 

“Don’t worry about it Five, I’m fine. It’s just a bit cold sometimes.”

 

“Is this why the attacks get worse in the dark? Does it remind you of there? No wonder you hate being alone!”

 

“Five! Trust me, I’m okay. I am fine. I have you, I have Ben, I have everyone here with me. I’m fine.”

 

“I hope you realise I am never leaving you alone again.”

 

“Five you don’t have to-”

 

“I know I don’t. I want to, cause I love you. I know I don’t sho-” He would have continued, if not for the rather choked sound above him. Looking up, he saw that Klaus was crying, had been for a while, apparently. He hadn’t expected his affection to be returned, clearly. Five smiled, before hugging Klaus again, hiding his face. Klaus drew him closer, and there the two sat, enjoying each others company.

 

And there the two slept. Five nodded off and Klaus, lacking the heart to wake the tiny man, stayed still and nodded off as well. Ben was sent to find them, as dinner was ready, but once he found them, he told the others that Five had a lot of papers to go over, and Klaus had passed out in his room trying to help him. No one questioned this, Klaus’s room did have more empty space, perfect for Five’s work, and thus the food was left covered in the oven, until they came down. Neither were informed by Ben that he had seen them, and thus the believed they were in the clear to continue as emotionally distant individuals. Five’s nightmares did come back though, so that incident was not the last. Surprisingly, they didn’t mind. They were a family again. And that was that.

 

“ _Come stop your crying. It will be alright._

_Just take my hand. And hold it tight._

 

_I will protect you. From all around you._

_I will be here. Don't you cry._

 

_For one so small, You seem so strong._

_My arms will hold you. Keep you safe and warm._

_This bond between us. Can't be broken._

_I will be here. Don't you cry._

 

_'Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart._

_From this day on. Now and forever more._

_You'll be in my heart. No matter what they say._

_You'll be here in my heart. Always..._

 

_Why can't they understand the way we feel_

_They just don't trust what they can't explain._

_I know we're different, but deep inside us_

_We're not that different at all._

 

_And you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart._

_From this day on. Now and forever more._

 

_Don't listen to them. 'Cause what do they know._

_We need each other, to have, to hold. They'll see in time, I know..._

 

_When destiny calls you, you must be strong._

_I may not be with you. But you gotta hold on._

_They'll see in time, I know. We'll show them together._

 

_'Cause you'll be in my heart. Believe me, you'll be in my heart._

_I'll be there from this day on. Now and forever more._

 

_You'll be in my heart. No matter what they say._

_You'll be here in my heart. Always..._

 

_Always I'll be with you. I'll be there for you always._

_Always and always._

 

_Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder._

_Just look over your shoulder. I'll be there._

_Always…_ ”

  
  



End file.
